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Jack yawned for the fifth time in the last two minutes. He was tired, to say the least. He yearned to take a swift nap; merely an energy boost to ensure he didn't pass out of exhaustion later in the night. The jet lag was hitting hard, and he felt his eyelids drooping under the weight of his pounding head.
The jeep he was sat in rocked slightly as it drove over some uneven road, the simple movement making Jack's head sway from side to side as his body fought to sustain a decent posture against the warm seats.
Overall, he was content. James was driving and Jamie was in the passenger seat, he trusted them enough to let him sleep. The calming nearness of Fredrick next to him was reassuring - Fredrick would never do anything to pester him. Not when he was in a state of being unable to fight back, anyway.
"Are you alright, Jack?" Fredrick whispered from beside him. Jack hummed against the leather seats, his body slumped into a position of being barely conscious, the seatbelt digging uncomfortably against his neck.
"Your neck looks really sore, buddy." Fredrick spoke again. Jack gradually managed to open his eyes and face the blonde man, who was gazing at him with an emotionless expression. The car was dark, the windows tinted so the moonlight could barely pierce the pane. The radio was quietly playing a soft melody, only assisting in Jack's attempt to relax.
"Freddie..." Jack mumbled, trailing off when his lips refused to move.
"Come on, Jack." Fredrick unclipped Jack's seatbelt, delicately tugging it away from his fragile frame and pulling Jack towards him like how a husband would carry his wife.
Jack sank into the touch, dangling his legs over Fredrick's lap and tucking his head securely under his friend's chin.
"That's it, good boy." Fredrick praised. Jack felt the taller man smile, a rumble of a laugh in his throat. He didn't care whether he resembled a child, or whether the boys would laugh at him when he woke up. All he cared about was the warmth of his best friend's body heat as he let his eyelids shutter.
Jack's limbs slackened as Freddie ran his fingers through his coffee-coloured floppy hair. A simple gesture that made a common appearance whenever Jack was nervous or tense. A gesture that made his heart balloon in appreciation and his stomach swell with butterflies.
A sensation he accepted as a crush.
And it was blatantly obvious, too.
Everyone was aware that Jack held certain feelings towards Fredrick, nevertheless, nobody was distant with him because of it. That made Jack smile. He had genuine friends.
"I love you, Freddie." Jack murmured under his breath. Those words he spoke every night solely so Fredrick knew it. Those words of sheer devotion, of gratefulness, of affection.
He finally slowed his breathing, the heaviness in his drowsy head sending him into a deep, intimate slumber in the strong arms of his best friend. But not before he heard a soft whisper;
